BASEBALL: Waynesboro pounds Chambersburg in opener

WAYNESBORO — It took all of four and a half innings to justify presumptions.

Considered by many as a squad capable of playing well into the warmer months of summer, the Waynesboro varsity baseball team made a convincing first impression on a blustery evening in March.

Unveiling a lineup complete with experience, speed and power, the Indians put on an offensive clinic in Friday's season opener, piling up 12 hits and scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the fourth en route to a 16-4 trouncing of visiting Chambersburg.

"We hit the ball really well during our scrimmages and fortunately it carried over into the start of the season," Waynesboro head coach Greg Chandler said. "Our guys were patient at the plate, working into a hitter's count and then capitalizing when they got their pitch. All-in-all, I thought we did a nice job the whole way around, especially with the conditions."

Seemingly unfazed by the near freezing temperature, second baseman Cole Warrenfeltz wasted little time setting the tone for his final campaign with the Indians, headlining an attack that featured seven players with at least one hit.

After drawing a walk in the first inning, Warrenfeltz launched a towering shot to the base of the fence in right-center for an RBI triple in the third before connecting on a pair of doubles as part of Waynesboro's 11-run fourth, driving in three more runs in the process.

Warrenfeltz' 3-for-3, 4 RBI performance was complemented by multi-hit afternoons from Alex Cline, John Barr and Ben Weber, each of whom added two base knocks to the Tribe's impressive total.

Contrary to the final score, the complexity of the contest was dramatically different prior to the home half of the fourth, with the Trojans scoring four runs in the second to grab an early 4-1 lead.

Following an RBI single by Barr to break the ice in the bottom of the first, singles from Colby Dice and Matt Stonesifer along with a walk to Jesse Helman loaded the bases to lead off Chambersburg's half of the second.

Another free pass issued by Waynesboro starter Dylan Bryan walked in the Trojans' first run prior to Andrew Shreiner lining a bases-clearing double into the gap in left-center, granting Chambersburg the initial advantage.

After holding the Indians scoreless, the Trojans were in position to add to their lead in the top of the third, drawing two more walks before Bryan settled in to strand both runners on base, keeping the deficit at 4-1.

From here, the momentum began to shift, with Waynesboro's hitters adjusting to Chambersburg's Ty Bowers on their second trip through the order.

Cline singled to lead off the inning followed by Warrenfeltz' blast that nearly cleared the fence in right, cutting the margin to two. Consecutive RBI singles from Barr and Weber ensued, knotting the score at 4-4, with Weber later coming home on a wild pitch for a 5-4 Indians' advantage.

Page 2 of 2 - Now back in front, Barr entered in relief of Bryan to begin the fourth, retiring the side in order after catcher Tim Ingram threw out Shreiner on a steal attempt for the second out of the inning.

Barr's quick work apparently didn't allow enough time for the Waynesboro bats to cool off, with the Indians officially blowing things open in the home half of the frame.

"I thought the sequence between the bottom of the third and top of the fourth was big," Chandler said. "We came back and took the lead and then John went out and shut them down. I felt like that really set up our big inning."

A walk to Seth Hoffman followed by a run-scoring single from Brandon Yurek and Warrenfeltz' first of two doubles in the inning got the Tribe's parade rolling. After the next batter flied out, Weber sparked the two-out rally by singling home Warrenfeltz before back-to-back free passes loaded the bases for Ingram.

The junior delivered, roping an opposite-field shot to the gap in left, resulting in a three-run double and an 11-4 lead.

Having batted around the order, Hoffman drew another walk prior to an RBI single from Cline and a Chambersburg error further extending Waynesboro's margin. Warrenfeltz then brought the 10-run rule into effect, pounding his second double past the centerfielder to drive in a pair before eventually scoring on another Trojans' defensive miscue.

When the inning finally came to an end three batters later, the Indians had scored 11 runs on six hits, five walks and three errors, with nine of the 11 runs coming with two outs.

Ahead by 12, Barr added the exclamation point by working a one, two, three top of the fifth, sealing the Tribe's first victory of 2013.

"This was a good way for us to start," Chandler said. "We're going to be playing a pretty tough schedule at the beginning of the year, so it's definitely nice to get this one."

For the game, Chambersburg (0-1) was held to just three hits, all during the second inning, with both Bryan and Barr striking out four.

Waynesboro (1-0) returns to action on Tuesday when the Indians open Mid-Penn Colonial Division play at Shippensburg.